We don’t all have the same sense of humour, but we all have the same need to have a good laugh from time to time. In fact, we actively search for reasons to laugh and, once we find a source, we share it with others so that they can laugh too.​In the spirit of sharing, I’ve included a list of my sources of laughter.

ComediansWe pay to see comedians. We watch them on TV. We watch videos of them. We actively seek them out so that we can laugh. The irony is that the source of the humour is us. We laugh when a comedian talks about a thought we’ve had, something we’ve said, or something we’ve done. In some cases, until the words are spoken, we don’t realize that what we’ve been doing is even funny. Even better, we may be in a large room with a lot of people laughing because they have done exactly the same thing. It could be something as simple as changing a toilet paper roll at someone’s house because the paper is coming over the top of the roll when you think it should be coming from the bottom. This is not something that I’ve done, but considering how passionate people can get about the correct way to insert the toilet paper roll in the holder, I’m sure that more people have corrected toilet paper rolls than you might think. Maybe you’re one of them.

Pictures and VideosIf you’ve been on social media, you know there can’t possibly be a limit on the number of pictures and videos that exist to make us laugh. When I go on Facebook, I can’t believe the number of views on some of those videos. They get shared over and over again. Sometimes they’re funny because you just can’t believe that someone could do something so stupid. Children (especially babies) and animals (particularly cats and dogs) are like social media gold. When you combine the two… priceless.

Goofy Little ItemsIt’s amazing what we will buy. If the gadget makes us feel good, we buy it just for that feeling. I mean what other reason could there be for anyone ever buying wind-up teeth that chatter? What about a fake nose and glasses. More recently, a co-worker bought me a small sparkly hat as a gag gift and I put it on the other day at work. I told the people who stared at me that I needed to put on my thinking cap. It was that kind of day. Sometimes those little things are the items that give us the biggest laughs.

Friends and FamilyThere’s nothing like being in a group of people who’ve known each other years. Inevitably, stories start being told. There are the stories where no two people remember something in exactly the same way. There are the stories where you believe that something embarrassing was forgotten ages ago only to find out that it has more lives than Jason and his chainsaw. With a little luck, sometimes you‘re the keeper of the embarrassing story and you’re the one who gets to bring it to life.Now, before you think that all my friends and family are nasty people who pick on each other, we do reminisce about the good times. That doesn’t mean that everyone remembers those good times the same way. Yes, the trend continues. I’ve learned over the years that my brothers and I will never remember the same events in the same way. Sometimes I wonder if we were together when an event took place. Sometimes I just think it’s a conspiracy to make me think I’m losing my mind.

StrangersThere are two perspectives to this one. On one hand, it can be fun to be surrounded by strangers so that you can do and say anything (within reason) without the fear that someone will bring it up again like when you’re with family and friends. On the other hand, strangers can be a good source of laughter because you don’t have any preconceived expectations of them. There is the potential for laughter at every corner. You just never know.

Co-workersWhile there can be challenges at work, I can’t complain. There’s no challenge to finding something to laugh at with my co-workers. In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, we seem to have something going on with hats. In addition to my sparkly thinking cap, I also got a Christmas cracker at work that opened to show a brightly-coloured paper crown. I wore it proudly until I forgot I had it on and walked into the washroom with it on. We also had a team-building event where we brought in snacks and all wore a hat. Of course, a group selfie was required and we had to promise our boss that if we posted the picture anywhere we couldn’t tag her. Ironically, she was the one who won a small trophy for the best hat.

Me-ismsI always say that you have to be responsible for your own happiness, so it’s a blessing that there is so much about me that makes me laugh. For example, it’s one thing to be voted “Person most likely to have a witty comeback” (another work event) and it’s another to open your mouth and have words come out that either don’t resemble English and in other cases accidently become a double entendre. Sometimes I have a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease and, as far as I know, there isn’t a cure. ​There’s also my ability to make others laugh. When I do this, it makes me laugh too. It’s a win-win situation, but it doesn’t mean that I’m on any A-list. I don’t get invited to all the best parties, but I’m okay with that. I’m just grateful that I have the ability to find the humour in things. I’m also grateful that I am given so many opportunities to find a great source of laughter.